Lifestyle editor REBECCA FOX looks back on 2015 and provides a quick guide to the latest cookbook releases.
This has been the year of discovering ways to eat healthier, if the cookbooks published have been anything to go by.
There has been a plethora of cookbooks on topics ranging from the controversial paleo diet to the eat everything in moderation but use "healthier'' - some might say more expensive - ingredients.
The popularity of blogs dedicated to these topics has led to publishing companies jumping on the bandwagon to produce related cookbooks.
Celebrity chefs have also responded to that popularity, putting out their own healthier takes, often inspired by their own health wake-up calls such as Jamie Oliver or Australian Valli Little. As a result, there has been an increase in the use of coconut oil and the debate on its health status and the increased use of ‘‘natural'' sweeteners such as dates and maple syrup rather than refined sugars.
It has also been the year of the "bliss ball'', those round balls of dried fruits and nuts that provide a great "healthy'' pick-me-up, but while free of refined sugars they can still pack a punch on the calorie scale.
Kale continued to feature strongly as the vegetable of choice and grains like freekeh became more popular. However, the more recent releases show there are still cookbook authors out there willing to write about a variety of food styles.
COOKBOOKS FOR ...
The bach
COASTAL KITCHEN
Ian Batchelor
New Holland
Photographer Ian Batchelor has travelled the country capturing the food and the landscape along the New Zealand coast. Otago and Southland feature, with recipes from Fleurs Place at Moeraki, The Pavilion at Colac Bay and Church Hill Restaurant on Stewart Island.
SIMPLY NIGELLA: FEEL GOOD FOOD
Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus
For those thinking of shelling out to attend her talks in New Zealand, this is a must. Based on dishes she cooks herself, the aim is food that makes you feel good, she says. The television series based on the book has been heavily criticised in the UK.
Readers
A YEAR OF GOOD EATING
Fourth Estate
As Slater himself says in this book: ‘‘the best things ... are invariably the most relaxed.'' There is nothing pretentious here. It is a good read, not just a recipe book. Its small format, matte pages and simple photographs make it nice to hold and read (great in bed or on the lounger). It takes the reader on a flight through seasons full of good food that one can, and wants to make. What more do you need?
LIFE IN BALANCE
Donna Hay
HarperCollins
Jumping on the healthy food bandwagon, Donna Hay has come up with a beautifully photographed (Photoshopped?) book with good descriptions and how tos for the wholefood ingredients which have become popular in recent times, along with her trademark short and simple recipes for how to use them.
Wholefood cooks
MY FAMILY TABLE: SIMPLE WHOLEFOOD RECIPES FROM PETITE KITCHEN
Eleanor Ozich
Murdoch Books
A beautiful book full of wholesome, simple recipes using natural ingredients. There are plenty of family favourites done with a twist, and a section on lunch-box ideas for the children.
What-do-I-cook-tonight? cooks
Chelsea Winter
Random House
Friends rave about this book, as do hundreds of her Facebook fans. Most popular for recipes turning out at home just as they look in the book. Great recipes for the family or flat.
Those with a sustainable bent
LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Bloomsbury
Tagged as recipes for the resourceful cook, this ‘‘pocket bible'' gives plenty of tips about what to do with those ingredients languishing in the fridge or cupboard to help save money and avoid waste. They include vegetable peel crisps and the more bizarre spicy crispy fish skeletons.
Summer travellers
Various
Penguin
Featuring recipes and stories from cafes around the country. Perfect for knowing where to stop for that great cup of coffee on your summer road trip, as well as turning out a tasty morsel when entertaining.
'My Kitchen Rules' fans
Grace Ramirez
Random House
This is described as a cook's journey through Latin America. It features authentic recipes and hints and tips by the North American-raised chef of Venezuelan descent, who is a judge on the television show. While it includes old favourites such as guacamole and salsa verde there are plenty of dishes you won't recognise but will be dying to try.
Gluten intolerant
Sally Holland
Self-published
A passionate cook and baker from Tauranga whose husband was diagnosed with coeliac disease, she set about adapting recipes so people who eat gluten free can still cook and eat delicious food. Anything dry, crumbly, unattractive or tasteless was rejected. A beautifully presented and photographed book.
Happy bakers
Karla Goodwin
Random House
As the owner of two Auckland bakeries, Karla knows the recipe for successful baking. In this book she includes the savoury as well as the sweet, with brunch, snack and finger-food ideas. There are also special-occasion morsels, including good instructions on decorating and icing techniques.
